Dumpster Days
by Alice-pyon
Summary: "Or that time, when those bullies were picking on me, 'cause I so little and I like to read, and I crawled on your back and we chased them into the dumpster! And they looked like a bunch of chilies! That was tough!"


This is what happens when I am extremely bored and creative! It's just a little one-shot about Taz, Up, bullies, and the dumpster! I hope I didn't copy anybody's idea, though I tried to make this event Taz mentions as specific as possible. Reviews would be lovely! :)

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><p><span>Dumpster Days<span>

_"Or that time, when those bullies were picking on me, 'cause I so little and I like to read, and I crawled on your back and we chased them into the dumpster! And they looked like a bunch of chilies! That was tough!" - _Taz

Most people would find deserted alleys at night slightly creepy, but not Taz. In fact, she enjoyed being alone, surrounded by the shadows. Sitting there, her back against the grimy bricks of her apartment building, she felt so… alive. But peaceful at the same time.

Taz was leaning over a small, faded red book, squinting her eyes and trying to see by the moonlight overhead. She never really had time to read during the day; there was too much to do. She had to help her mom take care of her younger siblings, do chores around their apartment, and go to the grocery store down the block to get the food they needed for the day.

During the little free time she got during the day, she was training like crazy. What was she training for, exactly? She grinned to herself, turning a page in her book as she thought of the many brochures stashed under her small bed in the room she shared with her two other sisters. Starship Rangers. Did they sound epic or what?

She had to admit, she didn't know a whole lot about the Starship Rangers. All she knew by looking over their brochures everyday was that they traveled the galaxy, they wore wicked cool uniforms, and they could kick galactic butt like no one else could.

Taz sighed to herself, caught in a daydream. She had this same fantasy every day… She was dressed in an ultra cool uniform; a white tank top, baggy light green pants, and a red headband that, she had to admit, looked awesome in her short, black hair. Around her waist was a belt filled with amazing gadgets that she expertly knew how to use. She was on an alien planet, in the middle of a raging battle. She was sprinting, diving, rolling on the ground, and shooting aliens with her zapper like there was no tomorrow. And maybe there wouldn't be a tomorrow. But still, Taz kept on her toes, and she was kicking butt out there on the battlefield.

Taz sighed to herself happily. Someday, her daydreams would come true. She'd be out there for real, a real Starship Ranger…

But for now, she had to train. Once she was old enough, eighteen perhaps, she'd leave home. She'd leave, and she wouldn't look back. And she'd become a Starship Ranger, she was sure of it.

"Hey shortie!"

Taz's head snapped up in the direction of the voice. There, standing at the mouth of the alley, was a tall boy with spiky blonde hair. She recognized him as Roger, a kid in her grade that acted like a big shot. Behind him were two of his friends, Alex and Tim.

"What's her name again? Tim asked, laughing evilly. "Isn't it Tab or something?"

"Taz, with a z," Taz snarled, shutting her book and jumping to her feet. "Now, _vete_."

The boys gave her a dumb, confused look, and Taz rolled her eyes in disgust. "It means go away!"

"Hey!" Roger yelled, "Don't you dare talk to us like that, shortie!" They started to walk into the alley toward her. Taz thought it was pretty unfair. If it was just Roger, she could whip his butt no problem. She imagined it now, a giddy smile on her face. First, she would wrap him up in tortilla, and then eat him as a snack. Boy, would he be terrified. And then, just to taunt him, she could add some pico de gallo sauce… Wait, why was she daydreaming at a time like this? There were three boys, not one. It was an unfair advantage, so maybe it would be best just to hightail it out of there while she still could.

Taz whipped her head around, trying to find the door she had come out into the alley through. She spotted it behind the advancing boys. She gave a frustrated sigh and, without a second thought, made a wild dash for it. She was able to sidestep Alex, but Roger and Tim grabbed her by the arms as she tried to dive through to the door. They hauled her up and threw her to the ground in front of them.

"Hey!" Taz yelled furiously. She got up, her fists balled, but she knew this wasn't going to end well.

"Jeez shortie, you don't weigh a thing," Tim taunted. Taz narrowed her eyes and glared. She wished she owned a zapper, like all the Starship Rangers did. She could have grabbed it and set it to pew… then she would have destroyed these jerks.

But she didn't have a zapper.

And she wasn't a Starship Ranger.

Roger gave an annoying laugh. "Is she holding a book? Man, who the heck reads? It's so lame."

"It's educational," Taz snapped. "You _idiotas_ wouldn't understand."

Roger and Tim's eyes flashed dangerously. They knew what that word in Spanish meant. Alex, however, merely looked confused and asked, in a slow voice, "What does that mean?" Tim and Roger glared back at him. Boy, he sure had contradicted them.

"You're going down, punk," Roger said, stepping forward and grabbing Taz by the collar of her shirt. Taz gasped, trying to aim some kicks at the tall boy. She kept kicking at the air, though. She was just too little and couldn't reach…

Roger was just about to swing back his hand and punch when a deep voice boomed from behind them. All three boys turned, startled, as a young man with gray hair and a black headband burst into the alley. He was wearing a totally awesome grey jumpsuit, and Taz almost jumped with joy. It was Up! How could he have possibly known that she was here, in trouble?

Up barreled toward Roger and Taz and viciously pushed Roger to the ground. Taz staggered as she was released from Roger's hold and felt Up's steadying hand on her arm.

"Taz, who are these guys?" Up asked, wiping his forehead. He was covered in sweat already. Taz knew that he sweated a lot. It's not like it was a bad thing or anything, but she had a funny feeling that someday it would be his downfall or something…

"Just kids from school," Taz replied, balling her fists. She was smirking down at Roger, who was still on the ground. Alex and Tim were trying to get him to stand up.

"They're mean," Up pointed out, giving her a concerned look.

"Yeah," Taz agreed, shrugging. "They're always mean. I'm little. I like to read."

"Those aren't bad things," Up said, giving her a reassuring pat on the back.

Taz smirked. "I never said they were bad. Now what should we do with them?" She asked him. Up, her best friend in this horrible town she lived in, was also training to become a Starship Ranger like she was. He was a lot better than Taz, and he had so much potential. Taz was certain that he'd be a commander or something. Commander Up. It had a nice ring to it.

"What are you talking about?" Roger spluttered, jumping to his feet. "_We'll_ be the ones doing the beating around here. You're gonna pay for what you did."

"Hmm," Up mumbled, stroking his chin in a sophisticated way. "How about that thing we've been working on?"

Taz gave a wicked grin. "_Vamos a hacerlo_."

They faced each other and grabbed one hand at a time, and then Taz jumped onto his leg and swung herself up onto his back, smiling smugly as she did so. Once they were in position, Taz pointed at the three bullies and yelled, at the top of her lungs, "CHAAAAARGE!"

Up ran toward the boys, bellowing a fierce battle cry as he did so. Roger, Alex, and Tim's eyes widened and they ran backwards, flailing their arms widely and trying to get away. Since Taz and Up were blocking the mouth of the alley, the three desperate boys ran into the only safe place they could think of; the dumpster.

Taz and Up, who were now bellowing together, ran up to the dumpster as the three terrified boys quaked inside. With a loud _bang_ Taz smashed the door to the dumpster shut.

"YAAAAAY!" Up and Taz cheered as she jumped off his back. Up snatched her up into a hug and they twirled together, screaming a victory chant at the top of their lungs.

Once they pulled away, Taz couldn't help but start gushing happily. "Up! How did you how I was here?" She asked.

Up looked to the side, a toothy grin on his face. "I was stopping by to give you something," he said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a red headband. Taz's eyes widened as she took the present in her hands, her mouth hanging open. It was the headband from her daydreams!

"It matches mine," Up explained, pointing to his black headband. "Except, it's red. I thought red would go good with your hair."

Taz looked up at Up, touched. She had never gotten a present before. Her mom didn't believe in Christmas. Or birthdays. She wasn't a very festive person.

"Thank you," Taz said, instantly putting the headband around her head. She absolutely loved, it, and she knew that she would never take it off for as long as she lived.

"Now let's go, Taz," Up said, sticking his arm out. Taz took it, and they both started to skip merrily out of the alley. "Tomorrow's your _kinsenyeta,_ and I guarantee that nothing bad is going to happen there at all!"


End file.
